During its incredible six-season run, Vikings shone a whole new light on an otherwise unknown and misunderstood people. It managed to get a lot right, but by no means is it without error.
Below are 10+ mistakes in Vikings fans didn’t notice. If you’re a student of history or just a plain old Vikings buff like me, you’re going to want to pay attention.
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1. They got the helmets half-right.
Vikings are often portrayed in fiction as wearing large horned helmets . The show is correct by not portraying their characters in such garb.
However, that isn’t to say that Vikings never wore helmets at all. They may not have had horns, but they certainly did have helmets.
2. Actually, that’s not how Thor created thunder at all.
The show describes the sound of thunder as the act of Thor beating his hammer against an anvil, but this is incorrect.
In Norse mythology , the sound of thunder is actually Thor’s chariot being pulled across the sky.
3. The slang is all wrong.
One of the more memorable Ragnar quotes comes in the show’s third season when he says to Floki “Shut your face.”
As cool a line as it might have been, there’s absolutely no record of the phrase in usage before the 19th century.
4. Russia didn’t exist back then.
Not only are there several mentions of Russia in the early seasons, but large parts of the sixth and final season take place within the future country.
However, the Tsardom of Russia didn’t begin until the early 1500s.
5. Lothbrok is a nickname, not a last name.
The name “Lothbrok” is a nickname that (humorously enough) means “shaggy breeches.”
In real life, Ragnar’s children would have carried the surname Ragnarsson; literally “Ragnar’s sons.” The fact that his children carry the last name Lothbrok is factually inaccurate.
6. Jarl Haraldson would never have been able to remain in power.
Jarls didn’t have such an authoritarian rule. In fact, it was widely encouraged to disobey and to question them in real life, according to historians.
The first sign of any questionable behavior, and he’d have been ousted immediately.
7. It’s very unlikely that Athelstan would have been crucified.
We all remember the horrific punishment that Athelstan had to go through for his heretical crimes. However, at this time crucifixion would have been a very rare punishment.
It was outlawed by Emperor Constantine in the 4th century.
8. Rollo never raided England in real life.
In the episode “Boneless” we see Rollo fighting side-by-side with his nephew, Bjorn. However, in real life at the time he was nowhere even close!
Rollo raided France in 876 AD, seizing an area known as Rouen . He then lay siege to Paris nearly a decade later.
9. They never actually referred to themselves as Vikings in real life.
This term wasn’t found in old Norse texts until the early 12th-14th century. It became more common in the 19th century, but it was only predominantly found in Romantic Language books, not history texts.
Vikings would have called themselves Norsemen , Nords, or most probably Danes.
10. Ragnar would have survived his fall into the snake pit.
Following in the footsteps of shows like Game of Thrones , Vikings decided to part ways with Ragnar at the end of the 4th season.
After he’s thrown into a pit of supposedly venomous snakes, he succumbs to the poison and dies.
However, a look into the pit will reveal that there are actually no venomous snakes to be found!
They’re all boa constrictors which, though they can be deadly, carry no venom whatsoever.
If they wanted to be accurate, they should have shown him being squeezed to death.
11. Ragnar wasn’t the one who led the Vikings to England.
In fact, he wasn’t even close!
According to historical records , there’s ample evidence that proves Ragnar not only had nothing to do with the voyage but that it happened centuries earlier.
12. The battle tactics shown on the show are Greek, not Norse.
The battle scenes in Vikings are some of the most exciting, bloody, and brutal scenes you’ll ever find on television. The tactics that they employ, however, are suspect .
Vikings were raiders, not strategists. They didn’t fight in a phalanx but rather relied on their cunning and surprise.
13. Lagertha probably never fought on the battlefield in real life.
Viking culture was arguably more advanced in terms of gender equality than some of their contemporaries in certain areas. That said, Norsewomen sharing the battlefield with Norsemen is a controversial theory.
There are historical records that support the notion but their reliability has been called into question.
14. The clothes are all wrong!
There’s evidence that suggests Norsemen were ahead of the curve in terms of fashion and personal hygiene. They would often dress provocatively and even color their hair.
Early Christians have even described them as being vain!
15. Lagertha’s boats.
Once Torvi spots Lagertha’s boats, she points at them and lowers her arm slightly.
But in the next shot, she redoes the movement, as though it never happened in the first place.
16. Bjorn is casually living in a log cabin.
While it may be adorable, nice, and cozy, something like this actually wouldn’t have existed at the time.
It would only come around 200–300 years later. But hey, it made for a nice shot, so that’s something!
17. Lagertha and the skeletons in her closet.
Alright, so there’s no closet.
However, when she’s in her battle, on her final skeleton she swings her sword downwards, but actually misses the skeleton completely.
Regardless of that, the skeleton still falls.
18. Wigstan and King Ecbert.
While King Ecbert and Wigstan are speaking, Ecbert’s left hand is open and pointing toward Wigstan.
But at the next shot, his hands are clasped in front of his chest rather firmly, shattering the illusion.
19. Ragnar’s target practice.
In order to practice throwing knives (three, in particular), Ragnar is using a shield to practice his aim.
He throws the knives, but between shots, the positions of the knives change on the shield.
20. Rollo and Bjorn practicing.
While Rollo and Bjorn are practicing together, Rollo slashes Bjorn across his stomach, along the left side, and then injures him further by slashing his right arm.
Painful, am I right, everyone? I wouldn’t want to be Bjorn.
Once Bjorn is on his back from the fact, Rollo helps him to his feet.
But when he stands up, the slash mark on his stomach is completely gone!
I wonder if Bjorn has some kind of special healing power he didn’t let his family know about…
Did you notice any other mistakes in *Vikings*?
Or were you too busy loving the action, violence, and drama on the show to notice any kind of mistakes whatsoever?
Either way, let us know down below in the comments!
